


Starting Off A New Era

by Avidiece



Series: a new era [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir-centric, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Memory Loss, Minor Spoilers, Partial Identity Reveal, Post-Canon, spoilers for s3e26 miracle queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avidiece/pseuds/Avidiece
Summary: Chat Noir can feel his heart in his throat as he follows her down off the ledge. They just won, but this doesn’t feel like he expected it to. Maybe he’d been missing something the past few weeks- maybe he misread what he assumed was exhaustion, and she’d been harbouring some dark secret.Ladybug gently pulls him across the roof tops to the Notre Dam, and they sit in their normal spot. But this doesn’t feel normal. Ladybug is hiding something from him, and it’s something important enough that she couldn’t tell him earlier. Alarm bells are thundering in his ears.--With Hawkmoth defeated, Ladybug must return the Miraculous box, and with it her memories as her time as a superhero. Before she does, she lets Chat Noir into her last secret, and he's not sure how to process it alone.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: a new era [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925563
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	Starting Off A New Era

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't post the first time, but just in case- sorry if you got a double ping!  
> Sequel to 'the end of an era', though its not required reading for this. This is a longer (in both word count and time frame) retelling from Adriends POV, and will probably be around five chapters. It's going to be a little angsty, but it'll have a happy ending I promise.  
> Thank you so much to everyone who kudosed and commented on the first one! I only posted it around 12 hours ago, but it got me really motivated to write this as a sequel.  
> Minor spoiler of the fact that guardians loose their memory after they hand in the box & that fu passes on the guardianship.

Hawkmoth is defeated, but the other penny hasn’t quite dropped yet. Chat Noir is still spinning Ladybug, holding her tight as they both cry from joy in their victory. Its over, and they’re free. He places Ladybug down next to him, and grips her arm as he smiles warmly.

“We did it!” He finds himself giggling as they both sit over the edge of a ledge. He lets out a breath he hadn’t quite realised he was holding as his arm slips down. “We did it.”

Ladybug leans into his shoulder softly. “Yeah, we really did.” Chat Noir turns to look at her for a moment, trying to read her face. A look he can’t name sits on her face- she looks happy but resigned, content but there's something on her face unsettles him.

“Ladybug? Are you okay?” He can feel confusion settling into his face. “We did it right? It’s over?”

She exhales long and hard, and rises to stand. “I’ve got to talk to you about something, but for now, lets go do media, okay? One last time?”

Chat Noir can feel his heart in his throat as he follows her down off the ledge. They just won, but this doesn’t feel like he expected it to. Maybe he’d been missing something the past few weeks- maybe he misread what he assumed was exhaustion, and she’d been harbouring some dark secret. His mind continues racing for the entire time they do media, he sends a silent prayer that his model smile managed to fool people.

Ladybug gently pulls him across the roof tops to the Notre Dam, and they sit in their normal spot. But this doesn’t feel normal. Ladybug is hiding something from him, and it’s something important enough that she couldn’t tell him earlier. Alarm bells are thundering in his ears.

“Chat… I know this isn’t something I particularly let you in on, but do you remember I told you about Mr Fu?” He nods, hesitantly. “Well, you know he gave up the guardianship a couple years ago. And I didn’t tell you the entire story.” Are those alarm bells or just his heart shaking his body? “When he gave me the guardianship, he also gave up his memories of the miraculous. It’s a failsafe to protect the Miraculous. All guardians have to sacrifice their memories when they return the box.”

“W-what are you saying lb?” She lets out a shaking sigh.

“You know what I’m saying Chat. There’s no threat in Paris anymore. I have to give the box to the holders. I’ll loose my memories of the miraculous, but you won’t okay? Keep this alive up in that head of yours kitty cat.” She taps at his skull, and he pretends not to notice the tears that start falling down her face.

“I don’t- I don’t understand. What happens now? Am I just meant to pretend this never happened? Vanish?”

Ladybug turns to face him. He’s not ready for this- Ladybug looks like she’s already moved on from this

“Chat, please don’t ever forget this, okay? You mean so much more to me than I can express.” She places her hand lightly on his cheek like she’s done a thousand times. “I’ve had time to process this, but I know this is new to you. It has to be today though. But, I- I’m willing to bend the rules a little, if you’re okay with that?”

“What do you mean?”

“How about this? Now that there’s no one to find out, I’ll reveal myself to you. You can make sure I get home after I hand in the box, and maybe check in on me from time to time. I don’t know you under the disguise, but I can tell you anyone is welcome at our house. My parents wouldn’t blink an eye at a stranger walking in and asking how I’m doing.”

Stubborn tears are falling down Chat’s face. This can’t be it. Checking in on his partner once every now again when she won’t even recognise him… It just feels wrong to know her outside of the suit and the to reverse not be the same. He can’t just let this slip away from him.

“Ladybug… Fighting with you has meant so much more than I ever said. I’m not- I don’t know how I could just let you go. This isn’t right.”

She leans towards him and presses her forward to his.

“Chat… This has been everything to me. But I know you can work past this okay? This is bigger than the two of us. I’ve had time to make peace with this.”

“My Lady-“ She leans away from him again, and he wraps an arm around her shoulder.

“It’s okay, I promise.” She says, but her body betrays her shakes with a sob against him. “I know you’ll be okay. And check in on the other holders for me? I’m worried about how Alya will adapt without us all around.”

“Alya? Cesaire? The reporter?”

“Our very own Rena Rouge. I know her out the suit, she’s trustworthy.”

“So that makes Carapace Nino then…”

“You know them? What a small world… I think the rest of the holders will be okay. But those two worry me. Maybe check in on Luka as well though- he’s never been good with things out of his control.”

“You chose Luka? Ladybug I’m a little put off by that fact. I can respect your other choices but you gave the guitar boy a miraculous?” He laughs, but its stained. Ladybug smiles at him a little sadly. It makes his gut wrench.

“The world really is small then, I suppose you probably know all the holders if you know those three… And me, you probably know me too. Come on, Chat. I think maybe it’s time to get this over with.”

They swing across the city, waving occasionally at passersby that cheer up to them. Today is Paris' day to celebrate. A part of him wonders how long it will take people to notice they're gone. No one can know why they all disappeared today. Not even the other holders. A part of him is glad he's the exception, the other part is in mourning of a future he can no longer have. Ladybug catches his attention and clears his train of thought, and he follows her as she ducks into a balcony.

He lands on a plush bed nearly buried in pillows, and thinks to himself about how practical Ladybug has always been. Of course she would have a bed below her window. If he weren't giving up his miraculous tonight he'd consider doing the same. Though her room surprises him a little. It’s significantly pinker than he imagined, and it looks too young for Ladybug. Though, when you get to know someone through battles maybe you get a squewed view of them. His mind wanders a little thinking about how Ladybug must see him, and then snaps back abruptly to attention when he recognises his own face in the room. No, he also recognises the room itself.

It’s Marinette’s room, he realises a second too late, staring at the framed photos of him and Marinette hanging on the wall. He hadn’t spent much time up here, whenever they hung out it was always in her living room- that’s where the games console was after all.

“Ladybug? Why did you just break into Marinette’s house?”

“Come on kitty cat, I always assumed you were smarter than that.” She pats the bed next to her carefully, and places her hand on his when he sits down. “Tikki, spots in.”

A flash of light blinds him for a moment, but then his eyes meet Marinette’s where Ladybug was sitting seconds beforehand.

Oh. _Oh._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! And again, thank you to everyone for the support on the first one.  
> Feedback is welcome and appreciated.  
> Kudos and comments keep the fic monster that now lives in my brain going


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